The Herbcrafter’s Tarot

Product Information

The Herbcrafter’s Tarot is a masterpiece, but it’s more than that. It’s a beautifully compiled trove of knowledge. Its companion book, written by Latisha Guthrie, is going to be one of your favorite go-to grimoires. The artwork by Joanna Powell Colbert is just perfection. She’s like a modern-day Pliny the Elder.

In this section, we also discover what drove the plant choices. In the Minor Arcana, each herb was chosen according to how the creators considered their contribution to an ecosystem. For example, All Aces are “dooryard herbs” and weeds that we are invited to view differently. Twos are plants that attract pollinators or feed animals. Threes are plants that are easy to grow. There is a list providing this information with each expanded upon at the beginning of the individual numbers sections. There’s the exploration of herbs as archetypes and how to tap in to plant spirit magic. And most significant of all for The Herbcrafter’s Tarot, how to work with flora as a divinatory tool. Each card of The Herbcrafter’s Tarot captures an encounter between humans and plants that highlights the ways our stories are inextricably linked. The Majors show altars or mandalas which I feel really help me connect to the essence of each plant. All the Majors are breathtakingly beautiful and will serve well as focal points for meditation. For each of the cards, the companion book provides information on how the plant medicine ties in with the the traditional card meanings. There is also a section on how to use each herb listed for herbcrafting.

Site Customisation

The four suits of the Minor Arcana are named after the four elements–Wands renamed to Fire, Cups renamed to Water, Swords renamed to Air, and Pentacles renamed to Earth. Then you’ve got the herbcrafter’s tools–mortar and pestle in the suit of Fire, kettles in the suit of Water, bolines in the suit of Air, and baskets in the suit of Earth. You’ve also got the skills of the herbcrafter: creating is Fire, nourishing is Water, learning is Air, and giving is Earth. The artwork is absolutely stunning. Look at Key 8: Strength, featuring garlic. I love the inclusion of garlic snapes and the detailing of honey-preserved garlic (one of my favorite recipes, by the way). Others cards in The Herbcrafter’s Tarot just invoke thoughts that make sense to me. Take the Eight of Air Licorice as an example. My first thought was, some people love licorice, others don’t. And, sometimes what we like changes. When I saw this card it served as a reminder to embrace our right to choose. Often times when we are feeling trapped it is because we feel we do not have a choice. Rarely is that the case. Sometimes it is purely because we are scared to speak our truth. Hands were humans’ first magical tool. Hands give. Hands receive. Your ancestors live in your hands. Hands are symbols of initiation. They have the power to love, create, move, and change. They are associated with giving, receiving, and serving. They teach us about reciprocity. Hands bridge the profane and sacred worlds. Angeles Arrien

It is not solely about the properties of specific plants, but our human connection to them. We focus on the craft instead of the clinical and the art instead of the astrological.

Required Cookies & Technologies

For 3 The Empress, the message ‘Be vulnerable, yet strong’ is the first line printed under the title. That is what I try and do every time I sit down at my desk to write or to work with my cards. With the Five of Air White Sage it is not so much about the idea of smudging my space to clear away negative energy. Nothing on its own can do that. It is all about intention.